FBI Seeks Help Finding Alleged Child Predator Dubbed ‘John Doe 28’

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An unidentified man seen on video engaging in sexually explicit acts with a young boy has been dubbed “John Doe 28,” and the FBI on Wednesday issued a nationwide request for help finding him.

“John Doe 28” is being sought by the FBI on suspicion of sexually exploiting a child. He is shown in video stills released April 2, 2014, by the FBI.

Described as a child predator, the man was first seen in a two-minute video that was found in the collection of a San Francisco man who was arrested on suspicion of child pornography charges, according to FBI Los Angeles Field Office spokeswoman Laura Eimiller.

The video was then reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, which works with the FBI to identify child victims and their abusers, Eimiller said.

Images from the video were recently enhanced to show the man, and those photo stills were released nationwide in a post on the FBI website Wednesday. The post stated that the video was first discovered in November 2012.

The FBI was partnering with advertising companies across the country to display the photos of John Doe 28, Eimiller said.

“Subjects who show their faces in child pornography are not typical,” said Special Agent Karen Jurden in the FBI web post. “It is our hope that someone will recognize this individual and come forward. We were able to recover a very clear image of John Doe 28.”

An image of the shirt worn by “John Doe 28” is shown in a video still released April 2, 2014, by the FBI.

The man could be anywhere, but authorities were hoping details in the images would prompt someone to come forward with information.

In one photo, there appears to be a blue sofa chair and a picture hanging on a wall. The man is shown wearing wire-framed glasses and a burgundy T-shirt with a small fish logo on it.

He appears to be a white male in his 30s or 40s with a receding hairline, according to the FBI.

John Doe 28 speaks one word in the video — “careful” — in English, leading investigators to believe he may be a U.S. citizen, according to the FBI post.

“Sometimes we will get some type of identifier that narrows down the geographic region,” Jurden said, “but that didn’t happen in this case. That’s why we are asking for the public’s help nationwide.”

Anyone with information was asked to submit a tip online or call the FBI’s toll-free tip line, 800-225-5324 (800-CALL-FBI).

“We need to identify John Doe 28,” Jurden said, “so we can make sure no harm comes to that little boy.”